Sea of Stars
by shoptopgamergirl
Summary: Aboard the legendary ship the 'Castle', Hunk Garrett had never bothered to inquire about the creatures in the vast oceans he and the crew traveled. He never expected to see any of them; until he met a siren. A REAL siren. And though he can't help it, he's starting to fall for him. But that spells war for the other ocean dwellers. Big war. (Human) Hunk x (siren ocean charmer) Keith
1. The Siren Storm

A/N this is my first Voltron FanFic! My old account is… really dismal. I made a lot of ToTA stuff (if you know what that fandom is) I made this off of a request from my friend, and I WILL finish this, believe me! It nots gonna be uber long (at least I hope not) and i hope you enjoy it!~

The sky was lit with starling streaks of thunder, arcing and branching across the wrought iron sky, clouds bringing down with fleets of sharp rain. The ocean turmoiled, broiling with anger at the small ship tearing through the dark waters of the Atlantic, trying its best to break the hull but to no avail.

Across the deck of the Castle-one of the fastest and strongest ships on the archipelago-crew and captain alike raced around in the torrents of water, lowering sails and reigning in any cloth before it was shredded in the storm.

Standing at the prow, feet planted firmly into the deck and hands clutching the spokes of the wheel was the ship's captain, Allura of continent Altea, using her mastery of the waters to try to tame the wild winds.

Her billowing white hair had been freed from its ponytail, strands now whipping around and sticking to her face as she barked at her first mate Lance McClain planted right at her side as he usually was. The Cuban beauty himself was furiously trying to tie down one of the sails in vicious arm movements, even as the rope kept being ripped from his grasp by the lurching of the deck.

In short, everything was in absolute chaos.

Survivable, but not without injury.

Amid the haze of darkness and screaming, wild red hair frolicked in the gusts as the ship's master Coran threw himself heavily against the mast, a chunk of wood hurling itself close to the altean and nearly impaling him.

"Captain! We lost first sail!" The redhead screamed into the wind.

"I'm tryin' everything' I can, but it's not gonna hold like this!"

Two of the shipbuilders scurried to the longboats, reaching in and pulling out a young crew member who had fallen in. Just in time, for just as they did so, the ship lurched to the side and the boat was lost in a quick snap of the ropes, tumbling into the water and being consumed.

Lance stopped to examine the boys condition before running towards a figure that was gripping tightly onto the railing, trying desperately to retain his balance.

"Garrett! We need you at the mast!"

He grabbed onto the soaked clothes of the young adult, hauling him away from the position and back onto the center deck, where he promptly coughed up the water that had been flooding his mouth.

The ships cook, Hunk Garrett, now having regained some semblance of composure, immediately went to work helping secure the supplies in case the vessel decided to take a dip.

Lance had run back up towards the prow and was yelling back and forth with Allura over the sound of rain and lightning, both teeming with fear for the crew.

"I can't control the waves; it's like… it's like they're ignoring me entirely. I can't even feel the ocean anymore!" Allura was yelling at the boy.

Allura was known as one of the last Alteans of her kind; the first and supposedly only kind to have control over the tumultuous waters of the seven seas. Her abilities had given them a great deal of help on their journey, though her markings had now lost their shine and had become dull on her face.

"Alright then! Well just have to ride the storm out, keep the crew tied down!" Lance yelled back.

Just then, a despairing cry rang out.

"Man overboard! Man overboard!"

"Shit."

Lance lurched over the railing and somehow landed successfully, immediately sprinting in the direction of the screaming voice. A crewman was pointing at a sailor spluttering in the waves, trying to stay afloat and not get dragged under.

"Get me some rope!" Lance yelled.

Hunk was the first to find a lengthy piece, and threw it into the water at the outstretched hands of the woman. After some flailing, she grabbed on tight.

"Alright Hunk! Pull with all you got bud!"

The yellow- clad cook nodded and began pulling with all his might at the flimsy twine, dragging the woman closer and closer to them. Just as she reached her hand out, Hunk saw something skim the surface of the water, barely visible but bright enough to stand out against the dreary background.

Red.

Bright red.

The kind of red you would find in blood and wax stamps, and…. On mermaids. It was definitely a tail he had seen, and it must've been attached to a wily siren, dangerous creatures who could coax the sky and sea into a rage with their voices.

After the sailor was safely aboard Hunk whipped around and latched onto lances shoulder, eyes lit with realization.

"Lance, there's a siren down there! That has to be why Allura can't use her Sea Charming!" He sputtered to the first mate.

Lance immediately understood.

"Allura!" He bellowed. "We have a siren on our hands. Get the harpoons!"

Up above, the pearl-haired captain wrestled with the wheel.

"HARPOONS!" She ordered. Her hat flew away with an especially sharp gust. "Starboard!"

Several people who heard the orders broke away from the quarrel they were having with the ships parts and fell towards the armory, grabbing sharp-tipped harpoon launchers capable of piercing a whales hide. Slipping across the deck, they positioned themselves in a line, waiting for another shimmer of red.

Hunk himself stood at the end of the line, looking for the bright color. A little ways away, near the backside of the ship he saw a crimson fin glide along the water.

"There!" He cried.

His stomach churned.

What would the beast look like? Would it have poison fangs; slits for eyes?of course those were just legends, and although he didn't normally buy into those things he had never had any evidence to prove they were false.

No whistles we're heard as the harpoons sailed through the rain, cutting through the drops. Only a sharp, high pitched scream was heard as the missile hit with target. Before the creature could pull away, the men began tugging at the rope tied to the shaft, reeling in the wriggling hybrid.

More cries of pain came burbling from the surface, and already a remarkable change in weather was settling down.

The winds had slowly begun to dial back to a gentle breeze, and the water, though still rough, was becoming somewhat manageable for the captain.

As they hauled the siren closer to them, Hunk looked away as red blood stained the top of the water. The cries seemed to be getting even more human too; young, almost, like that of an adolescent male.

There was a thunk as the body collided with the side of the ship, and Hunk hoped the barnacles hadn't scarred the creature too badly; he wouldn't wish anyone to feel the shredding pain of the tiny nuggets. The sailors hauled with even more effort, the load becoming more of a hassle to tug up.

Soon, the tail surfaced.

It was a beautiful masterpeice, a deep crimson shade with shimmering scales coated in amber and scarlet. Hunk held his breath as he saw the wound the harpoon had made, puncturing the thing's tail painfully.

He waited in silence as the shipsmen dragged the rest of it up… and gasped both in horror and awe. He had expected a grisly sharp-toothed monster with venomous eyes to be attached to the tail, but instead saw the delicate features and body sculpture of a teen boy, only maybe a year or two older than him. He had passed out from loss of blood, but even in such a state he was, in short words, really handsome.

Black hair that seemed to be about to his neck when dry was plastered to his face, framing sharp features and beautiful face sculpture. Upon further inspection, it appeared he did not have sharp teeth, but hunk was very sure he would use them later as weapons.

Lance stood aside in awe, silent from either shock or guilt.

"My god."

Some of the men dropped the harpoons in shock, while others held them to the side.

"It's just beautiful lies!" One of the men shouted.

"He looks… defenseless."

"That's what he wants."

"Don't be so cliche, Warren!"

A few turned to look at Allura from above.

"Captain?" They questioned.

With a deep breath she locked onto the gazes of the crew.

"Get him into my cabin and put him in the tub. Remove the harpoon if you can; he's valuable alive," She advocated.

Hunk couldn't help but stare. Someone-something this beautiful could really be so dangerous? But after all, he guessed appearances could be deceiving. He would know. But even as the siren was dragged away, he felt a pang of sorrow in his stomach.

"Lance I-"

"Hush, Bud. I know." his friend patted his shoulder. With a silent state of sympathy for Hunk's continuous extended kindness, Lance followed the array of men lugging the siren into the quarters, barking for them to be delicate with the boy.

Hunk watched silently, timidly.

He could have sworn he saw a flash of green in the water


	2. Under the Sea

-Deep Under the Atlantic-

Pidge (otherwise known as Katie Holt) flicked her luminescent green tail with a snap, descending deep down into the blue of the Atlantic. Keith had been captured; by the crew of the Castle nonetheless!

Damn.

There was no way they could get him now, not if he was being taken to the port of Balmera. And although Keith was a fighter, he was a rash decision maker, so that would mess him up terribly around these pirates.

Logical thinking told her that Keith would be fine, as a prize as rare as a siren and it's scales was beloved among pirates, selling for a charming penny on the market. Yet, another side of her fussed over the other details; what if they kept him alive and started scale stripping him anyways? What if they tortured him for the other sirens whereabouts? Or the kraken, even?

Pidge pursed her lips as she skirted around a ledge of coral. If she told Shiro, he'd be more than furious at Katie and Keith for even attempting to try to sink a ship, especially since they weren't even full-fledged sirens yet. Even though their progress was remarkable in twisting the weather to their will, sinking Galleons was not their forte.

Yet.

At least, that's what Katie had calculated.

And when Shiro and her dad said 'not yet' obviously they hadn't meant years. Obviously.

But maybe they should have listened.

As pidge rounded a few bends in the lower shelves of the reefs, she entered a small cave area, sweeping around some eels who snapped at her angrily.

"Oh shush," she scolded, glaring at them a bit. Exiting the hollowed shelter, she found herself swimming down an almost carved path on the floor, descending further and further into colorful anemone and marine life until the slope evened out into a plane cluttered with 'homes.'

They hadn't known that the Galleon was the Castle, and if she had, she would've known their odds would have been, say, 25 percent chance of success.

But the boy with the big brown eyes and messy hair had to ruin it all. If he hadn't spotted Keith the ship would've flipped, and they would've known sweet success.

Pidge gasped as a swordfish darted by, nicking her shoulder with a sharp slice. She winced, tail fwapping to the side in frustration.

"Watch it!" She gurgled.

She was almost to the cove, maybe a few flicks away from gliding safely into the area teeming with life and color. The faint blue light filtering through the water made the caves and niches clustered with coral glisten with mystery, making it seem almost beautiful to the common eye. But Pidge knew better.

Deep inside the society, it was tainted with lies and fake prophecies. But no one knew that anyways or at least figured it out beside her, Keith, And Shiro. But that was fine.

She felt something brush against her side, and she gently patted her sea-winged companion.

"Rover, buddy! Great to see you. Something friendly to back me up when I talk to ." Pidge wilted a bit at the thought of having to suffer through more of Shiro's incessant speeches about staying away from the surface and blah blah blah.

More Mom stuff.

"Okay. Let's go."

Her koi fish tail swishing gracefully in the tide, Pidge swam over to her Shiro and Keith's house, warming up her knocking skills before rapping in quick, sharp staccato on the shell by the driftwood door. A few soft noises filtered through the water, and Pidge waited for the ravenette to emerge, glancing around at the blooming seaweed bushes swaying in front of the home.

After a few seconds of heart-thumping anxiety, a familiar scarred face surfaced, a friendly smile playing over his lips already.

"Pidge, nice to see you." He opened the door, extending his prosthetic arm towards the soft sponge couch in the center of the room graciously. The green-tailed mermaid swished over and took up a spot as far as possible from Shiro, motioning for Rover to follow.

Shiro, impeccably perceptive as usual, noticed the almost indescribable twitch of Pidge's mouth.

"Pidge?"

"Okay, look. As you know, I'm usually always right about things," Pidge started.

"Mhmm?"

"And it benefits us like… seventy-five percent of the time."

"What did you guys do?"

Pidge sighed and rubbed the spot between her brows brushing away some floating strands of her hair before making a motion at Shiro with her hands.

"We tried to sink a galleon."

Shiro visibly tensed, and now started to take into account the immeasurable silence indicating Keith's absence.

"Pidge?-"

"Shiro, Shiro buddy calm down." Pidge scooted further, tapping her fingers together in rhythm as Rover swam circle around her.

"Is Keith…. is Keith okay?" Shiro was pissed, but he seemed to be reigning himself in. "Is he at the infirmary?"

Pidge was careful with her next words, tasting and weighing them to the fullest extent before sharing them with the adult.

"He's not at the infirmary."

"He's not-"

"He's been taken. The crew spotted him too close to the surface and since he stands out so much because of his color… he… just…." Pidge trailed off as she watched Shiro's jaw clenched. Fury radiated from his core, ten times as strong as what she had expected.

"I am… I can't…" Shiro had begun to float in circle around the space, tail thwapping into nearby objects and knocking them over in a graceful descent. "Do you know how irresponsible that was? Especially with Keith?! He's half Galran Pidge. His chances of surviving are even less odds now!"

"Shiro, we didn't know the ship was the Castle."

Shit.

She shouldn't have said that.

Shiro whipped towards her faster than a dart fish.

"You attacked the castle. The Castle. The same Castle that has the Altean Captain Allura?" Shiro drug a hand down his face.

"What direction were they headed?"

Pidge thought for a moment.

"North. It looked like they had a lot of supplies; they might be headed to Port Balmera to trade in the crystal markets?" Pidge tapped her chin.

Shiro's shoulders slumped, and he began tapping his pearl iron fist into his other open palm. He continued this ritual for a few moments, speaking only in a soft and fearful tone.

"The council won't help us again. You know that, right Pidge?" Shiro mumbled. He stared down at his prosthetic arm, flexing its fingers before pressing his hands into his face. His brother; stupid, hotheaded, and now enslaved to the hands of the humans. Galran or not, those pirates would spell trouble for them.

"Shiro, im sorry. I know you don't want to go out there again, and listen, I don't want to either. But Keith is my best friend; I'm not letting him die in their hands. Not like dad and Matt."

Shiro sighed, looking at the young girl with a brotherly face. Swimming over, he pet Rover softly before cupping the girl's tiny hands in his own, giving her the I'm-gonna-be-a-responsible-adult look. Pidge swallowed, trying to keep from fiddling with her seaweed frock clinging to her small form, nerves kicking in.

"Since I'm the oldest here, i guess the leadership lantern falls to me," he sighed. "And since I'm the leader, I'm gonna be making the calls. Which means if we're gonna do this, then you'll have to listen to what i say."

Pidge lifted her head a bit, eyebrow raised in curiosity. "We're going after it? Really? You and me?"

"I don't see who else will."

"Wow Shiro. I'm pretty sure you just shot up twenty points," Pidge chuckled. She was of course referring to a tally system she and Keith had been making for Shiro; tallies being Shiro's badassness points. He had been resoundly scored a negative ten by the duo, seeing as he was always such a preacher, though he had slowly been beginning to make his way to a negative five at the least. Shiro purses his lips.

"Points?"

"Nothing, Shiro." Pidge pushed her seaglass frames up her nose, light reflecting off them slightly. Shiro let go of the girls hands and instead used them to turn around and begin sorting through a clamshell chest tucked into the corner of the room, it's lid snapping open with a loud thunk. Pidge peered curiously over his shoulder.

"Whatcha got in there? Weapons? Tech?"

Shiro snorted. "Something like that."

From within the chest, Shiro withdrew a sleek whip-like weapon, its long coil made of woven sea grass with a sharp bronze tip at the end, as well as an easily graspable handle that could attach to a belt. Handing this off to Pidge he leaned further inside and rummaged around the Romanesque collection. Pidge examined he weapon more carefully, taking not that the whip was retractable and the bronze tip fanned out into an almost claw-like shape.

"A grappling hook?" She asked excitedly. A very nifty and well-constructed one to boot. The mechanism looked to be almost ancient but very well preserved, and form the markings, it seemed altean.

"Yep." Shiro said through the thick hide of the clam. Eventually he drew out a dark obsidian dagger, it's edges smoothed into translucent curves sharp as a shark's tooth. Purple markings were painted into the glass, and the hilt was wrapped in decayed black seaweed for a grip. It was a Galran blade, one that undoubtedly belonged to the blade of Marmora, the mermaid division that kept itself secret from the world.

"This might buy us safe passage through the shipyard. If not… well, we'll have to fight." Shiro slipped the dagger into a belt which he secured around his waist. He motioned for Pidge to do the same, and she did.

After they had fully packed up for the journey, she and Shiro secured the home before starting to swim towards the Bay Area where the mer-pets and travel companions were kept. Enclosed in several coral fences was a variety of sea-creatures, ranging from octopus and pufferfish to sharks. The pair swam through the maze of thick anemone looking for the familiar green black and red colors. A small burble was heard from one of the caves and two sleek creatures came zooming out of the water. Two beautiful sharks swam to greet them, one iridescent green and the other a deep deep black, both overjoyed to see their friends.

"Hey girl!" Pidge smiled, rubbing the green shark's fin as it brushed past her, purring. Shiro did the same to his own fellow shark, but looked around dismally as Red made no appearance. Pidge frowned.

"You think Red went after Keith?" Shiro asked her. Pidge nodded.

"Very big chance of that. Red is really attuned to what Keith feels; he must've sensed Keith's distress when he was caught."

Shiro sighed. "Hopefully we see him on the way." Sending one last glance around the area, he began to swim in the direction of darker waters.

"You ready for this Pidge?"

"Have I ever not been?"

Besides.

They had their girls to back them up


	3. Hunk's Guide to Being Friendly

A/N hey look two chapters in one day! I dunno, I just felt inspired. I was originally gonna add this to chapter two but I felt it deserved its own chapter. Hope ya'll like it!

Back aboard the Castle, Hunk was watching the distant sun as the ship crested over the rolling waves. He fiddled a bit with the orange bandana tied around his head, also helping to pin his hair up into a small but suitable ponytail. He was lucky he had found the small scrap of cloth, as it had been ripped away from him in the storm to who knows where, only to be found in the aftermath stuck to one of the splinters of the mast. Even in the short period of separation he had felt it's absence heavily.

The deck sunk under his feet at someone's approach, and he immediately recognized the drifty gait as that of Lance. Lance, who had spent all of last night struggling with the rest of the crew to wrest the harpoon from the siren boy's tail. It was easily discernible that it had taken a toll on the first mate, who had abandoned his usual coat and hat for a more simpler collared shirt now free of the heavy clothes of blood on his other clothes. His eyes were heavy with bags, and his smile was weak as he approached his friend.

"Hunk. How you doing, bud?" Lance said gently, voice hoarse. Hunk shook his head.

"Y'know i should really be the one worrying about you. You look… terrible." Hunk reached over and patted his leaner companion, the force making him quiver before stumbling to grab onto the railing.

"Heh. Yeah." Lance laughed softly. Hunk's face was crinkled with concern as he addressed his friend a bit more forcefully.

"No, really, Lance. You look awful. You should be laying down sleeping with the rest of the crew." He jerked a thumb at the entrance to the crew's quarters beneath them, where faint sounds of slumber could be heard very the waves. "Yesterday was… pretty terrible."

"Understatement." Lance responded. He opened his palm to catch some of the spray that jumped upwards from the ocean, the cold feeling like a kiss on his hands. "I have a hard time not thinking about that poor guy. He was so much younger than… well than what I expected. And human. Very, very human." He pinched his brows and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't think I'll ever be cut out to be a healer. There's so much blood. So, so much." Sleep and guilt were threatening to overtake the boy's voice, so Hunk shifted closer in case he decided to tumble to the deck. That had happened once or twice to a few of the crew, and neither occasion had been very fun.

"You don't have to be cut out for it. It wasn't your job to help anyways. If anything I should've been down there; I have more experience with that than even you do," Hunk whispered gently, rubbing Lance's back as some amount of comfort.

He kept rubbing circles until Lance began to slump over the railing, eyes closed and breathing soft and soothing. With a wry smile Hunk picked him up, easily carrying him towards the first mates room. Though crew weren't usually permitted inside, this occasion would be permissible; Allura wasn't the kind of person to lash out for helping a friend. Pushing the door open with a sharp shoulder bump, Hunk lumbered inside and gently slid Lance into one of the soft velvet chairs, cushioning his head so he could sleep comfortably.

"Bye, Lance."

He patted the brunette's hair before creeping back onto deck, halting for a moment as he heard another almost theatrical wail come from the captains rooms. The siren boy; no doubt he was hungry. Or in pain.

Despite all better judgement, Hunk decided he would try his best to make something somewhat consumable for him, as leaving him starving would just be overly cruel. Besides, he wanted to see him again. Allura was sleeping in a different part of the ship and Coran had taken over the wheel until she woke again to retain her dutie so she likely wouldn't be able to notice Hunk heading inside…. hopefully.

Rushing to the kitchen Hunk compiled a small platter of sea foods; well cooked sea urchin, some flavored seaweed, and chunks of cooked and uncooked fish, all of which he hoped would appeal to his appetite. A few crew members came in to request some water for their thirst, or maybe a banana or two for a quick snack, but other than that he had no big disturbances.

He was finishing salting some of the trout when he heard a bellowing meow from the doorway to the small space, and he looked over to see a beautiful yellow tabby leaping onto the table by him, no doubt lured by the smell of the fish.

"Hey, girl," Hunk grinned. He took a piece of tuna and put it in front of the seafaring cat, laughing sweetly as she gobbled it down. The quite large tabby Meowed at him softly, and Hink stroked her chin.

"I'm gonna go visit the siren boy. Wanna come with me girl?"

The cat seemed to agree, as it leaped up and perched on his shoulders, a furry gargoyle. Lance's own cat, blue, seemed to be frolicking on the prow, undoubtedly leaving her 'kitten' alone to sleep in peace. She was probably catching fish presents for him at the moment.

Balancing the platter just out of reach of sunny (he had named her so decisively for her color), Hunk exited the belly of the ship, heading towards Allura's chambers. Even as he neared the solid oak door, soft groans of pain could be heard, making Hunk bite his lip in sympathy. Though the harpoon had been a clean shot, he hoped that no bone had been ruptured in the process of removable.

Twisting the handle, Hunk entered the medium sized bedroom. The bed took up most of the space, covered in silk sheets and fluffy pillows.

Mmm.

Comfy.

Dragging his attention away, Hunk skittered his eyes across several plaques of altean scrolls and a colorful array of feathers dripping from the walls. Wow, Allura had a lot of pretty stuff. Sloshing noises coming from the attached bathroom returned his attention to the task at hand, and he slowly crossed over to the door.

"Please don't kill me please don't kill meeeee~" His voice raised a pitch as he turned the knob, it's clicking in time with his heartbeat. Cautiously he stepped through the doorway, and immediately ducked as a well scented shampoo bottle was chucked with extreme force towards his head.

"Ahhhh my god!" He shrieked. Some of the food spilled to the floor. Damn. He took a while making all that.

Carefully he peered over the metal tray into deep violet eyes, narrowed with something resembling rage mixed with fear. Hands quivering, Sunny now hissing from his shirt, he stalked closer.

"H-hi. I'm Hunk. T-the ships c-cook." He lurched forward to stop the fish from sliding off the platter, and found himself quite close to the boy's face. Reading back he felt his face flame red.

"Sorry!" He rubbed the back of his head, nervous. He'd never talked to a siren before.

"You're very clumsy."

Hunk started at the sound of a smooth, deep voice. Lifting his eyes back to the merman's face (a very pretty face, actually) he swallowed a bit. His hair had somewhat dried into what resembled a mullet, his cheek bandaged from a barnacle no doubt.

"I… i um… yeah," Hunk stammered. Nobody had ever fixed him with a gaze that serious. Not Allura. Not Lance. Never.

"You got some reason being here?" The boy seemed pretty harsh, and it scared Hunk a little bit.

"Uh, yeah. I um… made some food. For you." He felt Sunny leap off him. "I guess."

The merboy raised an eyebrow, which made his features so much more pretty.

God.

Hunk really needed a life.

"Food huh?"

"Yep, food. I wasn't sure what you'd like so…" Hunk stepped closer to the tub, overly trusting as he always was. "I whipped up a bit of everything." He set the platter on the porcelain rim.

The merboy tapped his fingers on the side and slowly pushed himself up, giving Hunk a full frontal view of his chest. An admirable chest, were it not for the large bruises and patches of bandage concealing several deep gouges. Hunk frowned, guilt working its way into his brain. He'd done this to him.

Before the boy could reach for a fish piece, Hunk cut him off.

"What's your name?" He blurted.

The handsome merman looked at him, face neutral.

"Keith." He said gently. "Keith Kogane


End file.
